pain

Claudia Rankine reads from Don't Let Me Be Lonely (2004).

In this performance, Michael Burkard reads from his first three books, particularly from the 1981 collection Ruby for Grief. He also reads some uncollected work.

Dana Levin reads primarily from In the Surgical Theatre (1999). This reading was originally given with Louise Glück.

Linda Gregg reads primarily from Too Bright to See (1981). This reading was originally given with Alan Feldman and Faye Kicknosway. 

Tim O'Brien reads his short story "How to Tell a True War Story," later published in The Things They Carried (1990). This reading was given as part of the Writers at Work series.

Tarfia Faizullah reads poems from her collection Seam (2014) and from an early version of Registers of Illuminated Villages (Graywolf Press, 2018). This reading was originally given with francine j. harris as part of the Morgan Lucas Schuldt Memorial Reading Series.

Khadijah Queen reads from her collections Conduit (2008), Black Peculiar (2011), and Fearful Beloved (2015); she also shares drawings, photos, and video and sound clips. This reading was given as part of the Spectacular Poetics series. 

Khaled Mattawa reads poems from a manuscript in progress, including a poetic sequence on human trafficking and global migration. Some poems would go on to appear in Fugitive Atlas (2020).